Computational Modeling of the Dynamics of Dislocations or
How to get Dislocations to Dance

David Srolovitz, Princeton University

The mechanical behavior of metals and many ceramics is controlled by the motion of dislocations. I will discuss two facets of dislocation motion in this talk. The first focuses upon the determination of the equation of motion for dislocations by a combination of atomistic simulations, Markov chain analyses, and Monte Carlo simulations. The second part of the talk describes a novel level-set formulation of the dislocation dynamics problem that incorporates this equation of motion. As my main example of the application of this new method, I will focus on the motion of dislocation through an array of obstacles. While this is a classic problem, I will show that while the textbook picture of Orowan looping does occur, it is rarely the dominant obstacle bypass mechanism. More relevant bypass mechanisms involve a surprising set of mechanisms that are both topologically complex and beautiful.

The P/T Colloquium is
typically held each
Thursday, 3:45–5:00 PM.
Refreshments are served
at 3:15 PM.